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Rights Defenders

Zhao Xianzhong died of an untreated heart attack while detained at the Henan Provincial Detention Center in Hebi City, Xun County, on April 18, 2017. Following his death, his family learned that during the 22 months that Zhao was detained, he was admitted to hospital three times for emergency...

On the afternoon of June 7, Lin Qilei met with Guangdong rights activist Li Xiaoling at the Beijing Xicheng District Detention Center. In the meeting, Li said that previously, because of delay caused by the Zhuhai police, the treatment she had received in Guangzhou for her acute glaucoma was not...

Reports continue to expose the serious human rights violations committed against lawyers and activists arrested in the 709 Crackdown. In addition to attorneys Xie Yang, Li Heping, Li Chunfu, as well as activist Wu Gan, many rights defenders caught up in the crackdown are reported to have been...

Among the detainees of the “709” crackdown, lawyer Wang Quanzhang is the only one about whom there had not been any news for nearly two years since his detention in August 2015. The authorities not only denied him access to the lawyers retained by his wife, but also suppressed the lawyers. Recently...

Jiang Tianyong’s wife is shocked to hear her husbad’s statement dismissing his two defense lawyers, and does not believe that this is Jiang’s true wish. She presumes that Jiang Tianyong’s statement—signed on the day when his six-months of residential surveillance expired—was the product of torture...

On May 8, Xie Yang, a human rights lawyer detained during the 709 Crackdown and charged with “inciting subversion of state power” and “disrupting court order,” was tried in a so-called open first instance trial at Changsha Intermediate People's Court. In court, Xie admitted to his alleged crimes,...

Activist Feng Zhenghu from Shanghai was denied departure from Pudong International Airport on October 5, 2015. The border police stated that his departure could potentially “harm national security,” allegedly in connection with the 709 Crackdown. In February of this year, when Feng was granted a...

On March 31, 2017, renowned Sichuan dissident and activist Chen Yunfei was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by Chengdu Wuhou District Court on the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles.” As he listened to the judgment, Chen gestured the “peace” sign with both hands, and said he...

On February 21, 2017, the mother of detained rights activist Huang Qi, retained two lawyers, Sui Muqing and Li Jinglin, to go to the state security unit of the Mianyang Municipal Public Security Bureau to request that the person handling Huang’s case provide information on his case, in accordance...

On the morning of April 6, after the verdict was announced on March 31 in her trial, Su Changlan was finally permitted to meet with her lawyer for the first time. Su told her lawyer that although she had predicted the verdict, after it was announced she felt angry and upset. Moreover, she believes...